Mora, Scott hit two homers each as Orioles crush Tigers

DETROIT (AP) -- Melvin Mora had two chances to hit the triple he needed for the cycle. He was fine with the double and home run he hit instead.

Mora went 5-for-6 with two homers, two doubles and a career-high six RBIs in Baltimore's 16-8 rout of the Detroit Tigers on Sunday.

"I just feel real confident when I get to the plate right now," said Mora, who is hitting .500 in his last 15 games. "To be able to go out there and crush the ball against a team like Detroit was really something."

The Orioles and Tigers combined for 24 runs on 37 hits, including 15 for extra bases, and added 13 walks for good measure. The ten pitchers needed 390 pitches. All 19 starters had at least one hit.

Baltimore, which also got two homers from Luke Scott, set season highs for runs, hits (22) and extra-base hits (12). It was the most hits in a game for Baltimore since they had 22 on July 22, 2006, at Tampa Bay.

"That was an unbelievable game," said Baltimore manager Dave Trembley. "I'm going to get a tape of this one and run it over and over during the winter."

The Orioles, winners of four of their last five games, have scored in double digits in three of their last four games. The Tigers fell to 5-11 in August.

"Our entire pitching staff had a bad day, and when that happens, you are going to get embarrassed," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "Our offense came ready to win this game, but when you give up four runs in three of the first five innings, it takes all the wind out of your sails."

Fernando Cabrera (2-1) got the win with three shutout innings of relief, while Casey Fossum (2-1) got the loss, allowing four runs in his two innings of work.

Both starters allowed five runs in less than two innings of work -- Detroit's Zach Miner got only four outs while Baltimore's Garrett Olson managed five.

Baltimore's bullpen, though, made the difference. Their four relievers gave up three runs in 7 1/3 innings while Detroit's allowed 11 runs in 7 2/3.

The Orioles started the game with five straight hits, including three doubles, to take a 4-0 lead off Miner.

"I felt good before the game, and then before I could blink, they had five hits," Miner said. "I was just shocked. They weren't all good pitches, but they weren't all bad, either."

Detroit got a run in the bottom of the inning on Miguel Cabrera's RBI double, but Baltimore made it 5-1 in the second when Miner walked Kevin Millar with the bases loaded.

Olson, though, couldn't hold the lead in the bottom of the second.

A single and two walks loaded the bases with two out, and Placido Polanco's walk forced in Detroit's second run. Gary Sheffield followed with a two-run single, chasing Olson, and Cabrera's single drove in the tying run.

The teams combined for 10 runs and 138 pitches in the first two innings, which took 74 minutes to play.

After a quiet third, Mora's solo homer off Fossum put Baltimore back ahead in the fourth, and Scott added a three-run shot later in the inning to make it 9-5.

Mora's two-run double increased the lead to 11-5 in the fifth, and Aubrey Huff hit a two-run homer two pitches later. Scott's second homer, a 412-footer down the right-field line, gave the Orioles a nine-run lead in the seventh.

Mora's throwing error allowed the Tigers to get within 14-6 in the seventh, but Matt Joyce grounded out with the bases loaded and Mora hit his second homer of the game moments later.

"He's 'The Natural' right now," Tremblay said. "He's on an incredible run streak, and I'm just enjoying sitting there and watching it."

"There's not much you can do about this one," Inge said. "Everything Mora swung at, he hit hard, and the whole team followed suit."

Game notes

The Tigers put reliever Todd Jones back on the disabled list Sunday and purchased the contract of veteran reliever Gary Glover from Triple-A Toledo. Jones missed the first half of August with shoulder problems, then allowed five runs in his first outing back on Friday. ... Baltimore's 12 extra-base hits were a record for Comerica Park, which opened in 2000.